


(Un)Limited

by inthepeppermintwind



Category: Glee
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-19
Updated: 2012-11-19
Packaged: 2017-11-19 02:17:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/567932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inthepeppermintwind/pseuds/inthepeppermintwind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Rachel is diagnosed with leukemia, Kurt makes sure to visit her every single day. These are the days Rachel remembers the best.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Pure Imagination

**Author's Note:**

> This is a work that I originally published on fanfiction.net in 2011 (under the name pineappletop92). I am currently moving all of my stories from there to here and scarvesandcoffee (when they apply). Thank you.
> 
> Many thanks to my lovely beta! (She's a unicorn.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Glee, but I do own my love for the friendship that has become known as Hummelberry.
> 
> Original Publication Date: September 3, 2011

The first time Kurt visited Rachel in the hospital was during her first chemotherapy treatment.

When Kurt entered the room, he was immediately met with the obnoxiously loud, know-it-all voice of Rachel Berry, who was attempting to stand up while a couple nurses, a doctor, and both her fathers were trying to get her to lie back in bed. All the while Rachel was busily telling them all how perfectly healthy she was, how there was no way the test results were correct, that she  _couldn't_  have leukemia because that would just wouldn't fit in with her plans to become a Broadway star. Kurt paused at the doorway, unnoticed as Rachel finally broke free from her fathers' hold and jumped to her feet.

"And for another thing-" she began, placing her hands on her hips and tossing her head up in the air. She didn't get very far, for as soon as she was upright, she began to sway slightly, letting out a small moan and closing her eyes. Kurt watched as a nurse took Rachel by the arm and set her down gently on the bed.

"Ms. Berry, we've already started your treatment," the doctor told her. "You're going to start feeling very weak soon, so you can't be walking around too much. Now I want you to at least sit in bed here while I speak to your fathers out in the hall. Sirs?"

One of her fathers – Kurt wasn't sure what his name was – leaned down and pecked Rachel on the cheek after she settled back against the pillows, a sour frown on her face. "We'll be right back, starshine."

Kurt pressed back against the doorway as the team of nurses, the doctor, and Mr. and Mr. Berry left the room, talking in hushed voices. As soon as they were gone, he turned back to look at Rachel, who had picked up a well-worn copy of  _Pride and Prejudice_ which she was glaring at. He watched unnoticed as she reached up a hand to wipe furiously at her eyes.

Standing up straight, Kurt plastered a smile on his face before sweeping over to her bed, grabbing the book out of her hand, and placing it on the table beside her.

"Kurt!" she exclaimed in surprise, her eyes lighting up upon seeing him. "What are you doing here? And why'd you take my book? I was just getting the part when Mr. Darcy-"

"Rachel, the book was upside down."

"Oh."

"Look, you need a distraction," Kurt said, as he sat down on the bed, forcing Rachel to draw her feet up, and pulled up his own to fold them neatly beneath his legs. Clapping his hands together, he smiled and said brightly, "Now, Miss Berry. You are not going to spend your day attempting to read Jane Austen novels, no matter how brilliant they are."

Rachel felt a smile grow on her face. Seeing the bright spark in Kurt's eyes, she had a feeling that things were going to become exciting fairly quickly.

"Oh, Mr. Hummel? And just what do you propose I do instead?"

Kurt cocked his head to the side, his smirk growing larger. "Well, I could suggest we sing songs together-"

Rachel sat up straighter, opening her mouth to tell him her preferred song choices.

"- _but_ ," he continued, forcing her to snap her mouth shut in annoyance, "I think you and I need to take a little trip down memory lane instead."

Rachel frowned. "What do you mean?"

Kurt smiled and leaned over the side of the bed. Rachel strained to see what he was doing, only catching a glimpse of a bag she hadn't noticed when he had first made his presence known, before he sat up excitedly with several items in his hand.

Rachel gaped. "Kurt, what  _are_  those?"

Kurt looked down at the princess hat, the play-sword and his own prom crown that he was holding. Then he looked back up at Rachel.

"Props!"

"For what? Are we going to act out a scene from Hamlet? Because those are not necessary, to be honest, Kurt."

Kurt shook his head, placing the prom crown on his head. "Not Shakespeare, milady. For I am Prince Kurt, and you are my sister, Princess Rachel." He sat up on his knees and leaned toward her to place the cone-shaped princess hat (it was pink with a translucent scarf coming from the top, and scattered with gold stars) on her head.

"Kurt, what are you doing?" she asked confused.

He smiled. "We are going to play pretend."

"What?"

Kurt's smile turned into a frown. "You don't want to? I thought it'd be fun. It's always nice to feel like a child again." He glanced down at his hands. "You know, when everything in life was good and nothing bad could ever happen except in stories?" He reached up to take the crown off his head. "I guess it was a stupid idea. It was something I used to do with my mother when she was in the hospital and it always made her smile, but I guess that was just because I was a kid. We'll sing instead, if you'd like."

Rachel held out a hand to stop him from taking the crown off. "No, Kurt. I – I think it's a great idea. It's just that…I've never played pretend before."

Kurt frowned at her. "What do you mean? How could you never play pretend?"

Rachel shrugged. "My dads had me in dance lessons, singing lessons, acting lessons, and piano lessons since I was five months old. I guess you could call the acting playing pretend, right?"

She looked at Kurt, but he was shaking his head.

"No, Rachel. Acting is when you become someone else for the sake of telling a story. Playing pretend is becoming your fantasy for the sake of having fun. Playing make-believe is…" Here is paused, frowning as he tried to think of how to explain it. "Playing make-believe is when you can be whatever you want to be, and always be invincible."

Rachel still wasn't sure if there was much of a difference between acting and playing pretend, but she nodded as if she understood Kurt's thought process.

"Now," he said, jumping to his feet and standing next to the bed. "I am Prince Kurt, the Fearless, hear to defend Princess Rachel, the Golden, from the evil foes who dare try to harm you in your weakened state."

And so Kurt wove a tale of dragons and elves, jumping around the room and swinging his sword at invisible enemies. Meanwhile, Rachel sat on the bed, laughing and gasping dramatically at all the right moments, and even throwing in her own ideas from time to time. And Rachel experienced for the first time the childish, innocent joy and invincibility one feels when playing make-believe.

For that one moment, she forgot where she was and why she was there, because in reality, she was in a grand castle by the sea, watching with glee as Kurt fought valiantly for her life.


	2. I Feel Pretty Unpretty

The twelfth time Kurt visited Rachel, she had been in and out of the hospital for chemotherapy treatments for almost four months now. The medicine had taken its toll on her, leaving her more tired looking than he could ever remember seeing Rachel Berry – the girl who was always wide awake and perky.

But she still smiled broadly and – with a bit of a struggle – sat up straighter when Kurt came waltzing into the room, a large white case in tow. Rachel didn't even wait for him to take her book –  _Jane Eyre_  – from her this time, eagerly placing it on the table herself.

"Daddy?" she addressed the tall man sitting on a chair with a Parade magazine in his hands. "Could Kurt and I have some time alone, please?"

Mr. Berry glanced up at Kurt and, after a moment's hesitation, nodded. He stood up and gave his daughter a kiss on the cheek before leaving the room. With a smile, Kurt took his normal place on the bed and placed the case down on the blanket between them.

"Guess what this is?"

"I don't know, what?"

Kurt snapped open a button on the side facing him and lifted the top half of the case before swinging the whole thing around to show her its contents.

Rachel frowned.

"Make-up? Kurt, is this supposed to be an insult?"

He actually looked taken aback – placing his hand over his heart and gasping in shock.

"Of course not, Rachel! This is meant to be a feel-better makeover! Don't you always feel better after having had someone else do your makeup for you?"

Rachel thought about it. "Well…I do feel sort of glow-y…"

Kurt smiled and tossed her a headband. "Exactly. Now, tie back your hair so I don't get any foundation on it."

Rachel did just that – thanking God above that her brown locks hadn't fallen out yet – and then tilted her face up as per Kurt's instructions.

As he began wiping the foundation across her cheeks, Kurt told her everything she had missed in Glee. He told her about Puck and Lauren getting caught in the janitor's closet, and about Santana accusing Quinn of being a closeted lesbian, and about Mr. Schue's latest pursuit of Ms. Pillsbury. As he talked he diligently brushed on different colors and shades of blush and lip gloss. He was applying a coat of eye shadow when Rachel finally interrupted him.

"…and so Sam was saying that-"

"Kurt?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I…can I tell you a secret?"

She felt his hand draw away from her eyes and blinked them open to look at his concerned face.

"Of course, Rachel. What is it?"

"I'm scared."

Kurt frowned, reaching out and placing a hand over her's. "Rachel, you don't have to-"

" _No_." She tore her hand away and wrapped her arms around her torso. "Kurt, I'm  _scared_. I don't think I've ever been this scared before in my life. And it's not death I'm frightened about – I've told you before I've often imagined my own funeral. I mean, death is a natural part of life, right? So why should I be scared of something that happens to everyone eventually? Personally, I think-"

"Rachel, you're rambling."

Rachel paused. "Right, of course." She swallowed thickly.

"What are you afraid of, then?"

"I'm…I'm afraid that I wasted my life."

"What do you mean?"

Rachel looked down at the sheets. "I spent my entire childhood looking at my future. While everyone else played games of make believe and made friends, I just focused my attention of becoming  _perfect_. I don't know if I actually enjoyed myself. What if I didn't? I was so goal-oriented…I never opened my eyes and looked at what was  _around_  me – just what I might become. I wasted my life, Kurt. I spent it all on dreams and never actually had any  _fun_."

Then there were hands on her face, forcing her to look up into the blurry eyes of Kurt.

"You listen to me, Rachel Berry. You did  _not_  waste your life. Dreams are what make  _up_  our childhood, Rachel. And don't you dare think for one moment that your dreams were any less magical than anyone else's. You are  _amazing_."

Rachel smiled. "Thank you, Kurt. I'm going to hug you now, okay?"

Kurt chuckled. "Rachel, you don't have to say that every time you hug someone, you know."

"Oh, hush."

With that they hugged briefly before turning back to Rachel's makeover.

But as Kurt was gently combing her hair to pull into a French braid, and Rachel was discussing the revival of West Side Story on Broadway, she heard a small gasp from behind her and the hands on her hair stopped moving.

"Kurt? Kurt, what is it?"

She turned back to look at him. He was looking down at his hands, so she followed his gaze – and felt her heart twist.

There, lying in his open palm, was a large clump of long brown hair.  _Her_  hair.

"Oh, Rachel…I'm so sorry."

She could feel her eyes moistening, but refused to let them fall. "It's okay, Kurt," she told him as she finally forced herself looked away. "It's going to be okay."

She knew she didn't sound confident.


	3. Candles

The twenty-sixth time Kurt visited Rachel, she had just undergone a harsh radiation treatment that left her vulnerable to any and all germs that might contain bacteria. She was being kept in a sterile room and Kurt was forced to don hideous gloves, scrubs, plastic booties, a cap, and a mask before even entering. He wasn't allowed to bring the karaoke machine he had brought with him in, but the doctors did allow him to bring in the other item he had brought – so long as it was kept at a distance.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Berry," he said cheerfully through the mask as he entered the room and placed the item on a table at the foot of her bed. He made his way over to where she lay, pale as the white sheets on which she lay. She groggily opened her brown eyes, which stood out with no hair to frame her face, and focused tiredly on the boy standing above her.

"Hi, Kurt," she breathed out, a small smile briefly making an appearance on her face. "What're you doing here?"

Kurt took her hand in his own gloved one, smiling even though she couldn't see it. "I have a surprise for you, Rachel," he said through the mask.

Rachel blinked heavily at him. "Surprise? What for?"

"Honey, don't you know what today is?"

Rachel struggled to think – to know what day it was – but nothing came to her sluggish mind. All she wanted to do was sleep.

"No, Kurt. I'm really glad you came to visit me, and all–" She paused to take a breath. "-but I'm really tired today and I really want to sleep."

Kurt nodded. "I understand. Just stay awake for a bit, though, okay? There are a few people who have something to say to you."

Kurt moved out of Rachel's vision over to the table at the end of her bed. Rachel struggled to lift her head to see what he was doing.

"Kurt, why is there a laptop here?"

Kurt smiled behind the mask. "You'll see."

As he opened the laptop, he reached over and pressed a button on the side of Rachel's bed, and with a soft whirring noise, the head of the bed began to rise, allowing Rachel to rest comfortably while still being able to see.

The screen on the laptop appeared after a brief second, showing that Kurt was open to Skype. At first all Rachel could see was a familiar view of the choir room, but it was empty. She was about to ask why Kurt was showing her an empty view of the choir room when a familiar face moved into view.

"Finn?"

Her boyfriend smiled and waved at her from the screen. "Surprise, Rachel! Kurt was actually the one who thought of doing this, so he got the privilege of coming to see you. We all wanted to come actually, and do this at the hospital, but they told us you couldn't have more than one visitor at a time."

"I don't understand," Rachel said, glancing at Kurt, who had moved to stand next to her. "What's going on?"

Finn grinned at her before moving aside to reveal the entire Glee Club and Mr. Schue standing behind him. He moved to join them as they began to hum.

"Happy Birthday to you," Finn sang. "Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday, dear Rachel. Happy Birthday to you."

"Happy Birthday!" the Glee Club shouted together, waving enthusiastically at her.

Rachel felt her jaw drop and tears threaten to spill out.

"But…but…I forgot my own birthday?"

"Oh, sweetie," Kurt said as he leaned down to wrap his arms around her. "You've been through a lot. You're just tired. Now wipe away those tears. It's your birthday and everyone has something to say to you."

And Kurt sat with her while one by one each member of the Glee Club told her something about how much they loved her – or how they hated her but appreciated her vocal skills. But none of that mattered because after Finn had told her how much he loved her and couldn't wait for her to come home, Kurt turned off the laptop and he sat on the bed and held her as she cried into his arms. He told her all of the things he loved and hated about her, and how for her next birthday he was planning on taking her to see a Broadway show of her choice in New York and that nothing would stop them from going.

She fell asleep in his arms not long after. He looked down at her, bald-headed, white as the sheets she lay on, with dark circles under her eyes that looked out of place on Rachel Berry's face, and tried desperately not to cry.

"Happy Birthday, Rach. Now make a wish, and blow the candles out."

Apparently, she wasn't asleep because she pursed her lips into an 'o' and blew lightly at invisible flames. Kurt smiled.

"What did you wish for then?"

Rachel hummed, eyes still closed. "I can't tell you that."

"Why not?"

"Because then it won't come true, silly."

"I hope it was a good wish, then."

Rachel smiled as she began drifting off for real this time. "Of course it is. It's for you."

Kurt didn't know what to say as he bit his lip and hoped that his crying wasn't loud enough to wake Rachel up.


	4. Dancing Queen

The thirty-third time Kurt came to visit Rachel, she was in her normal room, and she was sitting up in bed chatting amiably with her fathers. The radiation treatment had appeared to have worked, and she looked healthier than she had in a long time. When Kurt came in wearing a black tuxedo and carrying a large garment bag over his shoulder, she felt her smile fall as she remembered what that night was.

"Oh, please don't, Kurt. You didn't have to come here. It's prom night. Shouldn't you be with Blaine?"

"Oh, but he is," another voice said as Blaine entered behind Kurt. He was wearing a white suit and was carrying several shopping bags.

"What's going on?" Rachel asked, looking at her fathers who were trying to hide smiles. "What did you two do?"

"They did nothing, Rachel," Kurt said as he threw the garment bag on the bed. "Now go put on this dress. I'll be in when you're done to do your makeup."

"But, I still don't understand? I can't go to prom. I'm still not healthy enough and the doctors are still afraid of me catching illnesses from other people."

Kurt, however, wasn't listening. He had leaned down and was helping Rachel to stand up. She swayed on her feet slightly, but managed to stay upright.

"We know that, Rachel," Blaine replied as he set the bags down in a chair. "Which is why we're bringing the prom to you."

"Say what?"

Kurt chuckled. "Just go put the dress on, Rachel." He put the dress in her arms and gently pushed her in the direction of the bathroom. She looked at her fathers, who waved her on, before going in and closing the door behind her.

The dress Kurt had brought for her was a simple white dress that came down to just below her knees. It flowed out at the waist where it was tapered into a 'V' and above that it came up to just above her breasts. The neckline was square, with short sleeves about an inch wide settling over her shoulders. The dress was smooth and silky, except for a line of white flowers flowing down from the waistline and curving around the skirt. Kurt had also put a pair of simple white heels in the bag, which she slipped on her feet before giving an experimental twirl.

"Rachel?" Kurt's voice came through the door. "How's it going in there?"

"I'm ready!" she replied.

The door opened a crack and Kurt slipped into the room with his make-up kit. He set it down on the sink and instructed her to take a seat on the closed toilet lid. She did so carefully, and looked up expectantly as he began applying makeup to her face.

When he was finished he told her to look in the mirror. The reflection she saw caused a gasp to escape her lips. Rachel couldn't remember the last time she had felt so pretty. Kurt had done something to her eyes that made them look wider than normal, and the dark circles that had been under them were gone. Her cheeks were pink and her lips a shade lighter. Everything was perfect. Well, almost perfect.

She frowned as she reached up to touch the skin on top of her head. Her hair still hadn't grown back yet, and without it, she still looked strange.

"Here," Kurt said as he pulled out a long piece of translucent white cloth. He carefully wrapped it around her head and put a clip in somewhere. He let the excess cloth hang over her shoulder and then leaned his chin on top of it. "There. You look beautiful." He kissed her cheek briefly before opening the bathroom door and leading her out.

Her hospital room had been transformed in her short absence. The lights had been dimmed somehow, and there were black and purple streamers hanging from the ceiling. Metallic black and purple balloons were tied to as many surfaces as possible, and a set of speakers in the corner was playing music. One of her fathers was busy fiddling with a camera while the other was helping Blaine push the last potted plant into a corner.

Rachel turned to her best friend and threw her arms around him. "Oh, Kurt, it's perfect. Did you think of all of this by yourself?"

Kurt laughed. "Oh, I chose the colors and decorations, and of course I picked out your dress, but the idea was all Finn's."

Rachel pulled back. "Finn? But he's-"

"Right here," a voice said.

She looked over to see Finn walk sheepishly into the room, wearing a black suit with a black shirt and white cummerbund and tie. He was holding a blue box in his hand as he made his way over to Rachel.

"This is for you," he said as he opened the box to reveal a single white calla lily corsage. He took it out of the box and, holding her wrist delicately, carefully put it on.

"Finn, I-"

"Shhh," Finn whispered. "You don't have to say anything. This is our prom night, Rachel. Let's enjoy it."

And so, after her fathers took too many pictures, and insisted on several more, they finally left and the four of them danced in the hospital room – Finn and Rachel, Kurt and Blaine. And as Rachel rested her head on Finn's chest, Kurt watched her from his boyfriend's arms, unable to keep the smile from his lips as he watched her dance on the prom night that she had thought she was going to miss.

"You're amazing, Kurt, you know that?" Blaine said to him as they swayed gently to the slow music. Kurt tore his eyes away from Rachel and looked at him. Blaine was smiling and giving him those lovesick eyes that he often got when Kurt said or did something that he adored. Kurt didn't like to say so, but he secretly loved being able to do that to Blaine – to make his eyes glaze over in adoration. "You've done so much for Rachel in this past year, and yet I don't think I've ever seen you worried about her. How do you do it?"

Kurt glanced back at Rachel, who was giggling as Finn whispered something in her ear. He thought back the day a couple weeks ago when he  _had_  broken down in tears.

"I'm just a good actor I suppose," he whispered quietly. He looked back at his boyfriend, whose eyes had darkened in sadness and understanding.

"Oh."

Kurt gave him a small smile and leaned their foreheads together.

"Blaine, don't worry. Everything's going to be alright. Look at her. She's happy. She's practically glowing."

And she was. Rachel was smiling up at Finn and her eyes were shining with laughter. She glanced over at Kurt and Blaine, whose heads were still touching, and blew them a kiss before Finn spun her away to the other side of the room.

"Yes, but," Blaine said, looking back at Kurt and taking one of his hands in his own. He began rubbing it as he continued speaking. "I don't want you to lose anyone else you love, Kurt. You've already lost your mother. And I know how hard this must have been, watching Rachel….What if, Kurt? What if-"

"Shhh," Kurt whispered, pressing a finger to Blaine's lips, silencing him. "It's going to be okay, Blaine."

Blaine closed his eyes and leaned into Kurt's embrace as Kurt wrapped his arms around him and kissed him chastely.

"I certainly hope so."


	5. For Good

The forty-ninth time Kurt came to visit Rachel, he didn't bring any make-up or musicals-on-DVD. He didn't read to her out loud from her novel or recite lines from a play from heart. He didn't play pretend, or teach her a new dance, or bring in music sheets so they could write songs together. He didn't do anything that day, except to sit on the bed next to her with his legs stretched out on the sheets and her head resting on his chest, and sing.

He sang whatever came to mind. He sang songs from Broadway musicals to the latest Top Forty hit. Whatever song came to mind next, he sang. Rachel's fathers were sitting on the other side of the bed, holding each other's hands tightly and trying not to show their emotions to their daughter. In the corner Shelby Corcoran stood watching, her arms tight around her torso as if she were trying to hold herself together.

" _Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes,"_  Kurt sang softly, ignoring everyone else in the room but Rachel. " _Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes. Silver white winters that melt into spring. These are a few of my favorite things._ "

"Kurt?" Rachel raised her head off his chest.

"Hmm?"

"Can you sing our song, please?"

Kurt looked down at Rachel, whose tired eyes were looking back up at him. Ever since their prom, when everyone – including the doctors – had thought she had been on the mend, she had steadily been getting worse, growing weaker and frailer, and now she lay shivering in his arms. He tightened his embrace around her and began rubbing her arms to warm her up.

"Our song? We have a song?"

"Of course we do, Kurt. You know what it is," she said as she leaned her head back against his chest. "Now sing."

And Kurt did know. He struggled to sing around the sudden lump in his throat, but sing he did, even if it was more of a whisper.

" _I've heard it said_

_That people come into our lives for a reason_

_Bringing something we must learn._

_And we are left to those who help us most to grow_

_If we let them, and we help them in return._

_Well, I don't know if I believe that's true_

_But I know I'm who I am today_

_Because I knew you."_

Kurt looked down at the girl in his arms, and thought of how far they had come together – how, not two years ago, he thought he had hated her more than anyone else in the world. But now, he couldn't imagine his life without Rachel Berry. They were so much alike – so much so that he probably  _had_  hated her for it. They had the same drive, the same ambitions, the same dreams. If it hadn't been for Rachel, he might not have made it through his junior year of high school. But it was she who had reminded him that he wasn't alone, and she had been the first one to jump out of her seat for him at Sectionals last year. He hadn't thought much of it before, but Rachel was the only one besides Blaine who really understood him.

" _Like a comet pulled from orbit,_

_As it passes the sun_

_Like a stream that meets a boulder_

_Halfway through the wood_

_Who can say if I've been changed for the better_

_Because I knew you_

_I have been changed for good._ "

Rachel sighed. "Is it my turn?"

Kurt nodded. "You don't have to sing if you're too tired, though."

"No. No, I want to." She took a deep breath before beginning.

" _It well may be, that we will never meet again_

_In this lifetime, so let me say before we part_

_So much of me is made from what I've learned from you_

_You'll be with me, like a handprint on my heart."_

Rachel thought of how much Kurt had changed her over the past year. How he had taught her how to be a child again, and reminded her how much she had done in her life. She thought of how he had been there for her when her hair fell out and she got sick from the chemotherapy – how he always had a smile for her, even when she looked awful and was miserable from the treatments. Kurt had been there for her, even when she had thought she didn't want him there.

If it hadn't been for Kurt, she wouldn't have had the best year of her life.

" _And now whatever way our stories end,_

_I know you have rewritten mine, by being my friend_."

Rachel was taking deep breaths of air. "Could…could we just skip to the end?"

"Of course."

" _Like a comet pulled from orbit,_ " he began softly.

" _Like a ship blown from its mooring,"_ she replied in a whisper.

" _As it passes a sun_."

" _By a wind off the sea_."

" _Like a stream that meets a boulder halfway through the wood_ ," Kurt sang to her, rubbing circles into her arms.

" _Like a seed dropped by a bird in the wood_ ," she added as she closed her eyes.

" _Who can say if I've been changed for the better_ ," they sang together. " _I do believe I have been changed for the better._ "

"And," Kurt said softly. "Because I knew you…"

"Because I knew you," Rachel continued, barely above a whisper.

" _Because I knew you, I have been changed_ ," their voices sang, blending together softly.

" _For good_ ," Kurt finished, holding out the note for a few beats before he realized that his was the only voice he could hear.

"Rachel?" he asked, smiling down at the silent girl. His smile wavered. "Rach?"

Then, as if there had been something muffling his ears, he could hear a distant ringing noise growing louder. Except it wasn't a ringing noise, he realized as it grew. It was one long whine, the kind you hear when a heart monitor flatlines.

Kurt could feel the moisture building at the corner of his eyes. He leaned down and kissed the top of Rachel's head. Then, closing his eyes as the first tear fell, he whispered quietly to her.

"Farewell, my friend."

And as the boy wrapped his arms around the girl he had once thought of as wicked, he silently wished she would rise up from the darkness of the trap door, just like in the musical.

Sadly, it wasn't to be so.

* * *

The first time Kurt Hummel went to visit Rachel Berry at the cemetery, he brought with him two things: a bouquet of white lilies and a packet of stickers. The first thing he did was to kneel in the grass before the newly erected headstone and set the bouquet of flowers down in front of it.

Then he carefully peeled off one of the stickers and, leaning forward, pressed a single gold star next to Rachel Berry's name.

_Fin_

 


End file.
